Tips needed in regards to roosting.

[357MAGNOLE]

So some of you know last year was my first year at turkey hunting.... EVER.  So this year I would like to think I know way more than I did last year, and I do.  However, the roosting concept killed me last year.  Most everyone says to use locator calls, but the birds here do not respond to them.  So this past Sunday I decided I would go out to the different "sectors" of the public land I hunt on each evening and see what I can find out.

Long story short I found a crowd of them this evening with several on the roost and quiet a few more still in the process of going to the roost. This spot was on the edge of some swamp land, there are some big oaks, some little oaks, and some big pines. Their apparent tree of choice was the pines as they where all roosted in the pines. They also where not in the same tree or even within 50 feet of each other, they where spread out over about a acre maybe more.

So my questions are....

Do they prefer to use the same areas to roost, will they come back to that same area over and over?

Are they only in that area because it IS holding water currently?

Also, the ground was absolutely tore up.  It looked like they have been in that area for a while.  I must have covered a 200x200 yard area that was just scratch after scratch.  Tons of moss, rotten timber, puddles...

I have a photo from where I was standing while they where flying up, you cant see any of them because they where high up in the pines. About 100 yards back from where I was standing is a straight swamp.  Probably a couple feet in depth.  But just wanted yall to see what I seen if it can help.

[wvmntnhick]

Well, I'm not the authority on this by any means but I don't particularly put much stock in what I find right now. Birds change their habits as spring arrives. Right now it's about food and numbers. Later it's about breeding and I often feel visibility. Birds here will roost deep in the woods during the fall and winter closer to food sources. In the spring they'll roost where they can pitch down in a field or open area so as to make it easier to find the ladies. Also, when hunting back home, I find way more turkey activity on the farms in the fall then I'll ever see in the spring. Seems they've got a wintering ground just like deer. This may not be the same everywhere nor would I expect it to be but that's how things operate here.

[Happy]

Finding birds is never a bad thing. However as mentioned earlier they are in their winter patterns now. Once green up starts to happen that big flock is going to break up. Tom's will start fighting and eventually get a pecking order straightened out. Then you will start to see the large flocks breaking up and Tom's competing for hens and their own spots. Just keep tabs on them and you will learn a lot. Their is a chance that there will be birds there in the spring. Just not that many. However the other birds won't be to far away. 

[WNCTracker]

Where I hunt it all changes from winter to spring. They roost closer to the fields come spring and start their new pattern. And they've roosters in the same pines the last 4 yrs. too bad it's public land!

[fallhnt]

x3...still in winter flocks. They will roost in the same areas year after year all things being equal. Take what you learned about there roosting habits last year and use it against them. Good luck

[GobbleNut]

Since you are new to spring gobbler hunting, this will give you an excellent opportunity to learn a lot about turkey behavior.  Since you are apparently close enough to this area to go check on these birds somewhat regularly, you should make it a point to try to do so.  You will find out for yourself what the flocks of birds you have located will do as the spring season progresses and breeding kicks in. 

As the breeding season nears, I would definitely make an effort to go out to these spots a few times in the evening,...say a half hour before dark until it is pitch black.  You can both listen only on a few evenings or try using locator calls on a few occasions to see if your birds will respond.  Evening gobbling responses to locator calls, depending on where you are at, can be "hit or miss". 

You should most definitely go out to these areas in the early morning,...from 45 minutes to an hour before full daylight,...and listen for gobbling, especially as the hunting season gets near.  Again, you should listen only on some mornings,...but also try your locator calls on occasion.  I have hunted quite a few places, and I have never been anywhere that a good, loud locator call would not make gobblers sound off in the morning while they are on the roost. 

Whether the birds you found will remain in the same location as the spring progresses is unknown, but it is not likely that they are going to move far enough that you won't be able to keep tabs on them with some regular reconnaissance,...unless they move somewhere that you can't access.   I feel confident in telling you that those birds will be gobbling at some point,...at least in the early morning hours.  That is the best time to keep track of them between now and the start of the season. 

The amount of effort you dedicate to your scouting and learning the habits of those birds right now will go a long way in determining your success during the season.

[357MAGNOLE]

Thanks for the replies thus far.  We don't have much for fields here on this particular base.  There are a couple and an air strip, but I almost never see the birds out in them.  All of the Toms that have been killed here have been killed back in the timber as well.

There are really two main sides here.  We have a swampy section (which is where I was at) and a really flat heavily wooded area with a ton of white oaks and holly's on one side.  The other side is more hilly with more white oaks/holly's, there is also a pond and creeks on that side of the base. You never really see more than 10-15 at a time.  It seems as if they run in about 4 groups of 10-15. Each group seems to own its own quadrant.

[357MAGNOLE]

Good stuff Goblenutt. I am eating all this up fellas, I appreciate it.

[fallhnt]

I learned how to turkey hunt myself doing just what gobblenut said. I would start scouting in Feb. and keep going. Loved that part of it. I also would hunt almost all 30 days of our spring season,even if it was just an hour before work, and all fall with a bow. I learned there is a lot of BS in print. Keep at and keep learning.

[Smooth_Operator]

What has already been mentioned is true about winter flocks and fields, etc. However, if you hunt mostly deep woods like a lot of us here do, there are things to look for in regards to roosting sites.  Sounds like you've already found a spot that sounds consistent with what I see in my neck of the woods...water surrounded by tall pines.  Unless otherwise forced out, there will be birds roosting in that spot come spring time, they are there for a reason.  I often find that even in hilly country around here, I find more toms roosting on creek bottoms than on the ridges. I also find that given the choice between hardwoods and pines, they will choose pines, at least in the early spring before green up, as it offers more cover and shelter. And if I happen to find both a creek and/or water with pines, that's where I'll be scouting for roosting turkey. Walk around the base of the trees and look for signs, crap, feathers, etc...

[TauntoHawk]

just keep tabs on them, by opening day you'll have the good gobblers pinned down to where they are roosting come spring. plus you will learn tons just watching and listening to them over the next few months

[WNCTracker]

I learned how to turkey hunt myself doing just what gobblenut said. I would start scouting in Feb. and keep going. Loved that part of it. I also would hunt almost all 30 days of our spring season,even if it was just an hour before work, and all fall with a bow. I learned there is a lot of BS in print. Keep at and keep learning.

Totally agree...scouting is more important than anything for me since I'm not a champion caller.... Learn their pattern and put yourself in that pattern and you're halfway there.

[shaman]

So my questions are....

Do they prefer to use the same areas to roost, will they come back to that same area over and over?

Q: Are they only in that area because it IS holding water currently?

The catechism when I got started was that turkeys went to water the first thing.  It took me 20 years to figure out this was not the case, or at least not the case in my part of the world.  If water is scarce, then that may be true.  I would think however, that it is more to do with the food available.  See my next answer.



Also, the ground was absolutely tore up.  It looked like they have been in that area for a while.  I must have covered a 200x200 yard area that was just scratch after scratch.  Tons of moss, rotten timber, puddles...

See, that's what I think they're up to.  I think this area has a bunch of late winter feeding opportunities and that is what is drawing them here. 

Now, is that going to hold true in the spring?  No. Probably not.  Once there are fresh green things like clover to eat, they'll go find that and may change their roosting site to suit their needs. 

I've been hunting the same 200 acre plot going on 15 seasons.   What I've seen is that generation to generation, the same areas are used for roosting. Maybe it is not the same tree, but it will be in the same general vicinity.  The roosts change fairly regularly, and without any discernable reason.  However, the turkeys will keep  coming back as long as the surrounding area remains the same.  It is all about a) safety, b)comfort and c) food.   Primarily, the turkeys roost where they think they will be safe. Beyond that the turkeys go where they are least affected by the weather, and as close as they can be to the available food source.

Right now, around that roost, they're probably picking up last year's acorns and earthworms in the muck.

[OldSchool]

I can't offer you any better advice than you've already been given. You're obviously dedicated to learning all you can about these wonderful birds and in my humble opinion, that puts you way ahead of some of the other guys out there. Keep at it and don't stop once you fill your tags this spring. Get back out there without your gun and spend as much time as you can with the birds, there are no better teachers.

Good luck this spring, I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures

Bob

[otinhunter]

Like every one else has already said keep doing what you are doing that's is exactly what I had done when I first started. And it looks like to me you may have found a great fall turkey hunting spot.